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Growing Numbers of Californians Are Having Problems Paying Medical Bills — and Half Say They Have Skipped or Postponed Health Care in the Last Year Due to Cost

The rising cost of health care continues to be one of California’s most urgent issues, with one in four Californians saying they have struggled to pay at least one medical bill in the past 12 months — up from 20% last year — and 49% saying they have postponed care due to cost, according to a newly released statewide survey conducted by the California Health Care Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago. Of those who postponed care, the survey finds, 47% report their health condition worsened as a result, ...

Doctor Acquisitions Spiked Amid The Pandemic

Nearly 70% of America's physicians were employed by hospitals or corporations by the end of 2020, and nearly half of physician practices were owned by them, according to a new analysis released by the Physicians Advocacy Institute. Why it matters: The health care industry is becoming increasingly consolidated, which studies suggest will lead to even higher prices. Flashback: "The coronavirus is shriveling the businesses of doctors' practices, which serve as the home base for most patients," Axios' Bob Herman reported last spring. "Small and independent groups that are facing the most severe cash crunches eventually may ...